The developmental perspective was very important for the early European modernists in architecture and town planning. This doctrine is today considered less relevant in the already industrialised countries, but what about those that have not yet industrialised? In this paper it is maintained that the fact that classical modernism is out of date in the industrialised countries does not mean that its fundamental developmental principles were erroneous, or that this model is not relevant to countries embarking on modernisation programs. Using Uganda as an example an attempt is made to understand how architecture and town planning may contribute to the modernisation of society. It is argued that the negative aspects of modernism must not prevent us from seeing the positive factors, such as the contribution to health, access to daylight and other functional qualities.